Fish: We Have to Fight For This

//Fish: We Have to Fight For This

Fish: We Have to Fight For This

By | 2016-10-22T05:57:47-08:00 May 6th, 2011|News|Comments Off on Fish: We Have to Fight For This

The last time the Los Angeles Lakers went down 0-2 in the Western Conference Semifinals, Derek Fisher made magic happen.

Seven years later, the Lakers, in a 0-2 hole to the Dallas Mavericks after a 93-81 loss on Wednesday night, are hoping No. 2 can conjure up another spark.

In 2004, the Lakers went down 0-2 to the San Antonio Spurs. It was in that series that Derek dropped his infamous shot, his 0.4 legend, which carried Los Angeles to the Western Conference Finals.


Fish and the Lakers are locked in a fight for their playoff lives (Getty Images).

Regardless of his familiarity with the situation, Fish said it’s not where the Lakers wish they were right now.

"It’s not a great place to be," No. 2 told the Orange County Register. "(We have) a big uphill climb to make from here, but the opportunity is still there. We have to clean up a lot of things and get a lot better in 48 hours."

But don’t for a moment think No. 2 is planning on folding. He knows the Lakers have every opportunity to defend their title. Now they just have to prove why they are champions.

"We have an opportunity to see how badly we want to be champions again," he said. "But we are where we are. We’ve got to stay together as a group and fight together… We are trying to make history here. That’s not easy."

It won’t be for the Lakers, and now is the time to dig deep. It’s something Fish alluded to before the postseason began, as Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times reports:

"About two weeks ago, Derek Fisher gathered together his teammates and told them to look around the room.

He warned all the Lakers that if they don’t reach their goal of winning a third consecutive NBA championship, next season the faces on the team could look quite different.

Fisher pointed out that the possibility of the Lakers’ management making changes was realistic because it happened to him during his first tour with the Lakers.

"We discussed that buttons will be pushed," Fisher said after practice Thursday. "That’s the reality, and it’s business with this team. You have to understand it and appreciate it for what it is. I think guys understand it."

At the very least, Derek is very hopeful that they grasp the situation, as he told Turner:

"If you want to stay on this bus and take this ride and play for the Lakers and everything that this brings to you, then do everything humanly possible to push through," Fisher said. "Management is still going to make decisions that they feel like are best. But the best way to impact that decision is to win."

The Lakers still have a rare opportunity in front of them. Fish knows it’s a chance that’s not scripted. No one will tell them how to win and there are no shortcuts. At this point, he says, it’s about giving everything you have to give.

"It’s only been one other time that we’ve been in a position to win a third championship in a row," he said. "There’s not a script to this. You can’t always anticipate what’s going to happen in this business. Obviously we never anticipated being in this position. But this is what makes stories and history so great to recall sometimes, when you find your way from the depths of everything that seems wrong and just figure out a way to get it done. We have that opportunity right now."

Game 3 of the Western Conference Semifinals tips-off tonight from the American Airlines Center in Dallas. It’s scheduled to begin at 6:30 PT and the game can be seen on ESPN.

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